Train air and steam line coupler



March 11, 1930. J N 1,750,398

TRAIN AIR AND STEAM LINE COUPLER Filed July 21, 1928 INVENTOR 0 2% 25 z JOHNLFRANOIfi.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES Braitsmav PATENT OFFICE JOHN L. FRANCIS, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS TRAIN AIR AND STEAM LINE COUPLER Application filed July 21, 1928. Serial No. 294,466.

M invention relates to air and steam line couplers and more particularly to automatic train air and steam line couplers; and the object is to provide couplers which are simple in construction and highly eflicient in operation and which will not be dismantled or uncoupled in operation and which will be coupled automatically when two cars come together and which will be uncoupled automatically. One of the advantages is that serious accidents will be avoided. Another advanta e is that the employees do not haveto go in etween two cars to couple or uncouple the steam or air line and the expense of employing men for this purpose is avoided. This eliminates thehazard of men going in between the cars and much time is saved. Much time is saved in switching yards. Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the following description and the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the coupler and parts of two draw heads.

Fig. 2 is a face view of one member of a coupler.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of one member of the coupler.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one member of the coupler and the drawhead with which the coupler is associated.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a coupler head detached and showing a coupler which is modified for freight couplers.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

The improved coupler is connected with or associated with the drawheads of cars and not connected with the car bodies or other parts. The drawings show drawheads 1 and 2. It will be understood that the air and steam line couplers are to be used with different types of drawheads. The couplers 3 and 4 are suspended from the car drawheads by s rings 5 which are connected to the drawhea s by plates 6 which are rigidly connected or bolted to the bottom sides of the drawheads. The springs 5 are connected to projections 7 cast on the heads which have slots to receive the springs 5. The coupler heads 3 and 4 are provided with the plunger rods 8 which are jointed. The parts 9 are cast integral with the coupler drawheads 3 and 4 and the parts 8 are coupled to the parts 9 by a cup or socket 10. The end of the member 9 is projected into the cup 10 and a bolt 11 is projected through the cup 10 and through the end of member 9. The cup 10 is much larger than the rod or member 9. The member 9 will move up or down on the pin 11 to permit the two members of the coupler drawhead to adjust themselves to different heights to meet the requirements of the movements of two coupler drawheads. The ends of the members 8 are carried in hangers 12 which constitute bearings for the members 8 of the plunger rods. These hangers are trian ular in form. The parts 13 are integral wit the hangers 12. These hangers are mounted on the car drawheads 1 and 2 by means of saddles 14. The hangers 12-13 are attached to the saddles 14 by bolts 15. The saddles 14 are to be made in difierent sizes to adapt the same to different sizes of drawheads. The plungers 8 move freely through the hangers 12. The plungers are made yielding by springs 16 which are mounted on the plungers and the hangers 12 have seats for the springs 16 and seats are formed in the back ends of the heads 3 and 4 for the springs 16. Collars 17 are mounted on the portions of the plungers 8 which project beyond the hangers 12. Springs 18 are mounted between the hangers 12 and the collars 17. The object is to permit a limited yielding motion of the coupler heads 3 and 4 in uncoupling operations. The springs 18 and the collars 17 prevent with drawal of the plungers from the hangers 12. Springs 16 hold the heads 3 and 4 together and also act as shock-absorbers to prevent damage by pounding of the heads 3 and 4 together.

Each of the heads 3 and 4 have two openings 19 for the passage of air through these heads and one passage 20 for steam. Hose 21 are connected in the passages 19 for supplying air pressure and hose 22 are connected in the openings 20 for supplying steam pressure.

The faces of the heads 3 and 4 meet in operation and the springs 16 hold the heads in contact with each other. Each head has a cone-shaped projection 23 which projects into a cone-shaped cavity 24 in the other head to serve as centering means to make the passages 19 and 20 re ister with each other when two coupler head s come together. The passages 19 and 20 are provided with rubber gaskets so that when t e heads 3 and 4 are brought together there will be a perfect sealing of the passages 19 and 20 of one head with the corresponding passages in the other head. The heads 3 and 4 are provided with openings 25 to serve as cooling means for the drawheads 3 and 4 between the air passages and the steam passage.

What I claim, is,-

1. Air and steam line couplers comprising two heads provided with openings therethrough for the passage of steam and air, the openings of one head adapted to register with the openings of the other head, means in and on said heads for causing said openings to register, means for directing air and steam through said openings, means for suspending said couplers from drawheads of car couplers including hangers rigidly connected to the drawbars of car couplers, plungers composed of members rigidly connected to said air and steam line couplers and members adjustably connected to said rigid members and projecting through said hangers and movable freely therein, means on the ends of said adjustable members for permitting limited motion in uncoupling operations and shock absorbing means mounted on said plungers for protecting the meeting faces of said air and steam line couplers.

2. Air and steam line couplers comprising two heads provided with openings therethrough for the passage of steam and air, the openings of one head adapted to register with the openings of the other head, means on and in the meeting faces of said couplers serving as centering means, means for directing steam and air through said heads, means for supporting said couplers from the drawheads of car couplers, plungers composed of members rigid with said heads and members loosely connected to said rigid members and projected through said supporting means and vertically adjustable relative to said rigid members and movable in said supporting means, and shock absorbing means carried by said plungers for preventing the pounding of the meeting faces of said couplers against each other consisting of cup-seats on said couplers and on said supporting means and springs supported in said seats and holding said couplers yieldingly against each other.

3. Air and steam line couplers comprising two heads provided with steam and air passages therethrough, means in and on the meeting faces of said couplers for causing the passages of one head to register with the passages of the other head, ielding means for suspending said heads rom car couplers, triangular hangers and adjustable saddles for rigidly attaching said hangers to the draw bars of car couplers, plungers for said coupler heads rigid therewith and projected through said hangers and movable freely therein, and shock absorbing means mounted on said plungers between said hangers and said coupler heads, said heads having openings between the passages for air and the assages for steam for cooling the. drawhea s about the gaskets.

4. Air and steam line couplers comprising two heads provided with steam and air passages therethrough, means in and on the meeting faces of said couplers for causing the passages of one head to register with the passages of the other head, yielding means for suspending said heads from car couplers, rigid hangers attached to the draw bars of car couplers, plungers for said couplers, each plunger being in two parts, one part rigid with its coupler head and the other part movable freely in the hanger therefor and provided with a cup for receiving the end of the coupler head part and a pin projected through said cup and through said plunger end for permitting vertical movement of one plunger part relative to the other plunger part, and shock absorbing means on said plungers consisting of cup-seats formed on said hangers and coupler heads and springs of relatively large bore surrounding said plungers and seated in said cup-seats and serving to pre vent the pounding of the coupler heads together and to hold said coupler heads yieldingly together.

In testimony whereof, I set my hand, this 7th day of July, 1928.

JOHN L. FRANCIS. 

